A LETTER: To the Maker of Laws

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem                         Friday 6 Sha`baan 1437 A.H.       

Assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barkaatuhu brothers and sisters in Islam. I pray that Allah azza wa jal eases for all of us completely our paths to Him. May Allah give us Allah because in Him there is total sufficiency. Aameen Yaa Quddus Yaa Salaam Yaa Allah.

So, I wrote; ‘Fire in the Belly’ ‘A stage play’ which was inspired by my late dad, may Allah azza wa jal grant him an abundance of His Nuur. Aameen Yaa Nuur. I found myself in a typical village in the north whose inhabitants were Muslims in the month of Ramadan. Their challenges abound. They had no proper water, clothing and shelter. Their Islamic knowledge was almost nil. And they just lived their lives like that without any help from the Ummah. Then I cast my mind back to Kumasi where I lived. In this holy month, it was common to see so many acts of charity go on. Foods especially are in abundance. One thing that was popular was the ‘iftaar’ saga. During iftaar, some people shared foods to people and took pictures and videos of them. That was a good thing but those they were feeding was the problem. They fed those who could well feed themselves and their families whiles people like those in the village I was; stayed hungry. Let me cut my story short on ‘Fire in the Belly.’ Read the book and let us all pray that we do not become victims of the temptation of money; of this worldly life; of the ayah;

‘Those who unjustly eat up the properties of orphans, eat up nothing but fire into their bellies. They will soon be enduring a blazing fire.’’

(Surat An-Nisa, the Women, Chapter 4 ayah 10)

Now, I have about five other stage plays and you are going to see one titled; ‘A Letter to the Maker of Laws’ on the market very soon in shaa Allah. This is a book I have a ‘special agenda’ for. Keep smiling to Jannah! Let me tell you about it!

We hear every day, and for all those who have been through the missionary school system; we know for a fact that some non-Muslims in those institutions just love to make life quite unbearable for the Muslims for whatever reason. The State gives us all a ‘right to worship’ but that right is clearly being infringed upon by other people who have just made it a point that they don’t like Muslims and their ways.

I have, alhamdulillaah, not experienced that direct show of disdain for my Deen before as an individual but such stories are numerous. Yet I remember quite a few disturbing cases whiles in the Senior High School. I attended an all-girls missionary Senior High School. On Eid days, we had to stay in school, no matter what one will not be given permission to go home. On one Eid day, our GMSA Patron decided to seek permission for all of us to go and pray in a nearby town. Gosh! You should see the stress he was put through. Meanwhile a handful of some Christians were permitted to go out for a programme they were invited to right whiles our Patron was struggling to get us a permit. Now, alhamdulillaah, the permission was granted with a strict time limit place on it. And then the confusion, who was going to transport us? The school buses were standing there empty. These handful of Christians were given a bus and the Senior Housemistress who was behind these tough times was being reluctant at letting us have a bus too. In the end, she made us join the handful of Christians. Guess what! We put on white veils and our church cloth. She made a comment;

‘Why are you wearing these scarves in the school? Can’t you wait until you get there before? ‘

She made it with that face. You can guess ay! And come and see crying in the bus whiles the bus moved. Frustration galore!

I remember clearly witnessing more than once one of our reverend fathers openly deal with us the Muslims and how barbaric our religion was; making all kinds of fun about some of our beliefs. I just sat at the back with my colleague Muslim prefects and laughed at him and his ignorance. But the case was that serious that you begin to see some obviously Muslim girls beginning to renounce their Islam with some excuses like;

‘My father is Christian and my mother is Muslim and I live with my father and so I go to church…blabla…’

‘My parents are Muslims but we don’t really practice Islam…blabla…’

‘I am from a Muslim home but I want to become a Christian even though my parents will not agree…blabla…’ etc.

And what I saw on visiting days as I presided over the visits as protocol prefect shocked me. These Muslim girls’ parents come all ‘Islamically dressed’ and mostly speaking Hausa and other local languages with them. Sad indeed! And the parents were totally ignorant of what their girls were up to in the school.

The stories are endless…

We see our nurses in those ‘little dresses’ that do not fit the concept of hijab. And even though the country has allowed them to wear veils, some health institutions and/or individuals have decided to still deprive them of that right. 

A Muslimah goes for a job interview and she is given the ultimatum to either take off her veil and get the job or find the exit. Ignorant people keep making fun of the Muslimah for her kind of dressing. Muslims in general are faced with all kinds of ignorant attachments; terrorist, uncivilized people, etc.

Now, my worry is not so much the people who put us through these frustrations as it is about how confident, daring and vocal we are about these unfair treatments. My worry is about those Muslimahs who would rather put away their hijabs and even their Islam just so they could fit into these lives, just so they could be accepted by these people. My worry is about those of us Muslims who would rather sacrifice their Islam just to please these people instead of being bold enough to let them know what was right and what was wrong; educating those ignorant people about Islam; so I decided to write this; ‘A Letter to the Maker of Laws.’

Faatima Zahra is a 15 year old Senior High School girl whose mother is a nurse and her father is a lawyer. She wonders why her mum puts on hijab at home and has to take it off when she is at work. (Note: Hijab is not a veil. Hijab is the concept of the overall covering of the woman). Her father is a lawyer whose great concern is to fight for the human rights of people especially the weak and vulnerable such as the Muslims. Faatima wonders why her cousin, Hameeda, a very intelligent young lady is sent away at every job interview just because she refuses to take off her hijab.

Faatima wonders why her English Teacher just hates everything Islam, for no tangible reasons. She wonders why a student will be punished for just performing his prayers in his dormitory at his free time. Her mind is unsettled and being a brave, confident, intelligent and daring girl, she thought that she had to do something about it.

But isn’t it interesting? She is just a very little girl. She isn’t the wealthiest, nor powerful, nor the strongest. She was only a girl. She thinks to herself;

‘What can she do whilst she is as she was; wealthless, powerless, young and weak?’

She decides to write a letter to someone special; pouring her heart and mind out.

Was she ever able to start and finish her letter? Who did she mean by ‘the Maker of Laws’? Did she ever deliver her letter to the Maker of Laws? What were the things she told him/her? Did he respond to her letter? Did she achieve her aim? So many questions and the answers are all in the book. Keep smiling to Jannah! Make sure you grab your copy and grab some for any non-Muslim you know in shaa Allah!

Now, my special agenda is to have our young Muslimahs especially, take up the personality of Faatima Zahra; be daring, be confident, be knowledgeable about the Deen, be God-Conscious, be smart and intelligent, be wise and have a passion for positive change. This will give them the positive push to go through the various discriminations they are likely to be subjected to as Muslims in their schools, environment, work places, etc.

When we are also able to get non-Muslims to also read it, at least, it might be a wake-up call to them to rethink their decisions of oppressing the Muslims wrongly.

If you are interested or know anyone who will be interested in buying this book in bulk at the cheapest price for free distribution to non-Muslims especially, please contact me through this blog, whatsapp, email or facebook.

An Excerpt

HAMEEDA:

As I walked, they called me names. Taliban, Osama Bin Laden, Terrorist, Al-Qaeda and many others. And they were tertiary students who should know better. They stand in front of my school Hall and insult him, the Prophet, the greatest man of all times. They should not ask the Muslims, they should ask great Historians like Michael Hart. Little boys and girls who know virtually nothing about him. When I react, they call me violent. What do they expect from me? To applaud them for insulting me and the people I hold dear? Would they do same to me were I to call their fathers and mothers derogatory names?

STORYTELLER:

It is like beating a child and forbidding him to cry. And they call us rowdy just because a few have been rowdy. But is rowdiness not found in every category of people? Whether Muslim or not? Whether black or white? Whether rich or poor?

HAMEEDA: 

To dodge these kinds of humiliations, most of us throw away the precious values that Islam instil in us and adopt the others. We want to be like everyone else. We want to please them. Very unfortunate! Very unfortunate.

STORYTELLER:

Hmmm! Very unfortunate indeed.

HAMEEDA:

Why don’t they find out what Islam really is? Is the Qur’an not translated into the languages they understand? Are Hadith books and other Islamic literatures not all over the place in English? What is their fear? (She exits)

STORYTELLER:

What is their fear? (Lights go out and come on again with Hameeda and Faatima Zahra seated on a mat)

HAMEEDA:

You know, these things must really be put to an end. When I was in the Senior High School, we the Muslims suffered a lot too and it is no different from what you are going through now. Even after this many years, these people haven’t changed their attitude towards us.

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

Sometimes, I really don’t understand how some of them could hate us so much just because we are Muslims. What wrong has Islam done?

HAMEEDA:

It is something that one can never fathom. You know the painful aspect of their forcing us to join them in their worship?

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

Tell me.

HAMEEDA:

They say so many bad things about Islam that is so untrue that makes us cry sometimes. Because of that some would prefer to say they are not Muslims just so they will be acceptable to them at least. It is a pity. And they would not even give you the chance to teach them the truth.

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

Things are no different now cousin. What I do is that when something like that happens, I walk up to the priest or teacher who gives the sermon and try to explain what the truth really is to him whether he likes it or not. And when I see a Muslim in the school trying to change his or her identity for acceptance sake, I talk to him or her in detail. I win some and lose some because some of them cannot simply withstand the humiliation.

HAMEEDA:

(Surprised) You do that?

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

Yes, I do that.

HAMEEDA:

And do they ever take it? They might turn you into an enemy one day.

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

(She smiles) The funny thing is that they mostly tend to apologise and blame their sources of information yet they never stop doing similar things. I’m trying to convince them to start reading the Qur’an and the sayings and actions of the Prophet, peace be upon him.

HAMEEDA:

(Impressed) I always feel very proud of you cousin and I wish I had done what you are doing when I was like you but I know it is never too late.

FAATIMA ZAHRA:

You are an inspiration to me sister and I love you very much.

May Allah azza wa jal accept our every minute effort to please Him. Cleanse our hearts and continue to purify our intentions. Safeguard us from ‘riyaa’ and grant us QalbunSaleem in ease. Aameen Yaa Lateef Yaa Affuw Yaa Mujeeb Yaa Allah.

Jazaakumullaahukhairan always!

Love fiisabilillaah always!

Rubaba-ElhaamMmahajia-RahmaSabtiu-MorlaAgooro-Kangara (Keep smiling)

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FLAUNTING THAT DRESS

4th Rabi-ul thani, 1437                                              Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barkaatuhu dear sisters. Humility is an extremely beautiful thing just as arrogance is ugly. Some of us are born and bred with the humility attitude whilst some of us have to go through the humility learning process. Whatever be the case however, you must work at being humble because there is absolutely no reason you should be arrogant; you are just human and you are totally dependent on Allah azza wa jal. You are not self-sufficient, Allah azza wa jal is. Smiles!

A Beautiful and Inspiring Woman; Asmaa

Asmaa Hussein is one of the women on facebook who has for years inspired and still inspires me. She’s been tested and how she handles this test; deriving from it all kinds of great life lessons is amazing. And we pray that Allah azza wa jal will accept from her. Aameen Yaa Mujeeb.

So this woman runs a website entitled Rukaya’s Bookshelf for her very little girl, Rukaya. In one of her most awesome articles which I would recommend every lady to read; she makes some heart touching and profound statements and those statements are what I want to base this article on.

One Critical Lesson my Mum Taught Me

Even as a child, my mum made me understand this simple rule of life;

‘Know that there will always be that someone who needs whatever you have of material things a lot more than you do. If you think it is bad and you need something better, at least someone will be fully content to have that which you consider not good enough for you. And if you think it is perfect for you, even someone else would have loved to have it too. So therefore, sharing of our material things was completely worth it.’

When I had to be in the boarding house for months, mum gave out my clothes to those she knew needed them a lot more than me because she was hopeful that at least for the few weeks we usually spent on vacation, I could manage with a few items of clothing. And gradually, she taught me to understand why that was one of the most beautiful trait of humanity and then I fell in love with that also.

Campus and the Desire to Bridge the Hijabi – Non-Hijabi Gap

Back in the university, we wanted so badly to see that Muslim ladies did stuff together regardless of whether they are part of those in hijab or not. This is because we realise that it seemed those who did the hijab acted towards the non-hijabis with the ‘you don’t want to obey Allah’ attitude whilst the non-hijabis acted towards the hijabis with the ‘you the so called righteous ones’ attitude.

It got better along the way and I pray that the situation is best now. But that is the case of the Muslimah today. We are categorised variously. The major categorization being that some are observing the hijab whilst others are not. And when you come to the hijabis, you see all kinds of hijab; from the sexy to the funky to the boring to the simple, etc hijabis. Now the sexiness and funkiness and simpleness and boringness of the hijab is something we must all work on. The Hijab is a whole concept about which we must learn and do right. As we work on coming together as Hijabis and non-hijabis, there is one thing we must understand; there is absolutely no need for us to compete with one another in the hijab fashion world.

The Brand doesn’t Matter, the Concept Does 

I grew up seeing my mom give out her clothes and ours to people who needed them. She would almost empty her wardrobe when she is giving away her clothes. Then she sticks to a few. Note; what she gives away aren’t old clothes but clothes she wears. She doesn’t give them away because she is going to sew a lot more; no, but because she believes others needed them too and since she could afford some more if she needed them, but to keep sharing. 

Now, I see us the young Muslimahs of today getting almost obsessed with the material aspects of the Hijab concept. We care too much about fashion and class. We care too much about changing clothes every other day whilst we pack all the others in our wardrobe. We want to be seen in a new clothe at every gathering. The veils are countless, the shoes to match, the hijab pins to match and all the other accessories. No matter how expensive some kind of abaya is, we still want to have different colours of them or different types of them. Now, this quote from www.becomingminimalist.com is worth reflecting upon;

‘We are a society drowning in our possessions. People are looking for freedom and rescue. They are searching for new solutions. Those who adopt minimalist principles in their wardrobe choices are discovering more productivity, less stress, less distraction, less expense and more peace. We have no idea how much of a burden our possessions have become until we begin to remove them. But when we do, we immediately discover a new life of freedom and opportunity.’

Interestingly, if anyone should be completely at peace when it comes to dressing, it should be the hijabi yet we find ourselves in that complicated situation where we are drowning in our hijab. We are in a position where our hijab is gradually becoming a burden and taking majority of our productive time because we want to fit in the status quo. Now to Asmaa Hussein’s advice to her little girl on this situation in an article entitled; ‘You are Beautiful…and Why it Doesn’t Matter; she says;

‘What you wear doesn’t matter. Brands don’t matter. The things you own, if used selfishly, proudly and without care or consideration for others will only cause you to be regretful on the Last Day…You can certainly love white or black, pink or blue, green or purple. The Prophet (SAW), too, had a favourite colour. You can dress according to your preference and culture, within the limits of modesty. That’s normal and natural. To deny our desire to clothe ourselves well and to look good is to deny a part of our humanness. So dress modestly and neatly. Make sure your body is clean and that you care for the cleanliness of your surroundings. Brush your teeth. Brush your hair. Keep your body healthy. These things are a trust given to you by God to take care of. And that’s the complete and holistic way of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Outer cleanliness, neatness, modesty and health are actually tools we should use to enhance our worship…’’

And the best part of the advice is yet to come. Definitely, Islam allows us to want to look good for ourselves so far as we are modest and stick to the rules of Allah azza wa jal and so far as we are not doing it for someone’s interest but to seek Allah’s pleasure; that is cool. But then we must understand that we need to feel that sense of freedom to understand that we should not let the world dictate to us the number of clothes we should have, their colours, styles, when to wear what and all those. We should feel free to not be obliged to do make-up to fit in, to forcefully get that hijab even when we clearly cannot afford it or it is too luxurious just because others have it. And that is the part of Asmaa Hussein’s advice to her daughter that touched me to the core. She said;

‘In fact, you can wear clothes that are considered to be out of style, I don’t care. You do not owe anyone a wardrobe that is continuously updated with what’s in style. You definitely do not have to keep up with the potentially detrimental ‘hijab trends.’ You can wear the same thing several days in a row, as long as the clothes are clean. You’ll soon realize that this is just not what matters most.’

And I do not have to add anything to this. It is deep enough for personal reflection. And I am hoping and praying that we could have Muslimah’s who do not just feel obligated to adhere to the ‘potentially detrimental ‘hijab trends’ but who will feel free to wear even the same apparel several days in a row as long as it is clean provided that is what they have or even if they have more, provided that is what they want because soon we will all come to realize that it is not what matters most in life.’ 

Keep smiling for sadaqa. May Allah azza wa jal pardon all our wrongs and continue to guide us on the right path always. Aameen Yaa Affuw Yaa Haadi Yaa Allah.

Jazaakumullaahu khairan always!

Love fiisabilillaah

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu

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